ISTE.org resources A web page review and comparative analysis with the Philadelphia school district department of educational technology A Review by Kenneth Miranda

Exploring the ISTE Resources and services ISTE.ORG (International Society for Technology in Education) provides a plethora of resources and networking opportunities that help the beginner or experienced teacher prepare themselves to transform how technology is used affectively in the classroom and develop professionally. The focus will be on Resources, Learning Services, and Standards as well as comparing how the School District of Philadelphia aligns to the ISTE standards.

ISTE Resources The resources that are available at your fingertips Include a database of journals from the Journal of Research on Technology Education and the Journal of Digital Learning In Teacher Education. With a premium membership to ISTE.ORG you have free access, through a link to the Taylor & Francis Online Database, to JRTE and JDLTE digital journals dating back to 1978 (JRTE) and 1984 (JDLTE). Although my experience resulted in just the abstract being made available with an Option to purchase the journal for a high price tag just to Have access or own the single journal.

ISTE Additional Features: i-books and e-books This tab allows you to search the vast data base of resources that include webinars, ebooks/ibooks, white papers, communities, and podcasts. There are also a list of tabs that narrow down each of the aforementioned resources which allows you to filter one type of resource. eBooks/iBooks Immediately upon clicking on the ebooks/ibooks link I see resources that are worth their Kilobits in gold: lesson plans! The lessons I reviewed are on ibooks that open in the iBooks app on Apple. There are interactive lesson plans that include videos (see screenshot of an ibook lesson plan on the right) of some lessons in action. The videos are linked to Youtube but play in-app so you don't have to leave the ibook.

ISTE Additional resources: White Papers According to Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab, a white paper is to advocate that a certain position is the best way to go or that a certain solution is best for a particular problem. ISTE currently offers 5 white papers (although one is repeated twice) free of cost to both members and non-members of the organization. They cover topics on standards, digital citizenship, and standards-based technology adoption and integration. These white papers would serve as an excellent guide towards the direction of education technology, educational leadership in the technology realm, and professional development.

ISTE Additional resources: Webinars, Courses, and Learning Services A plethora of learning, technology development opportunities for both the individual teacher all the way up to assisting school districts with the information and consultation to maximize and build on their technology Resources. The webinars that are available consist of a library Of recorded sessions that seem to be viewable even if The presentation has passed. With most webinars free of Charge and dating back to the mid 1980s, there are Endless hours of online workshops that can fit your needs. Very impressive were the consulting services that ISTE Has to offer. ISTE covers all facets of preparing district Schools by providing a needs assessment, help with going Mobile that includes strengthening community relations, Creating a digital citizenship strategy, and developing a “digital age eco system” specific to the district’s resources And needs.

ISTE Additional resources: Webinars, Courses, and Learning Services Cont’d As depicted in the image on the right, the consultation services ISTE offers are so detail oriented to establish a successful technology rich and meaningful appplication of such technology in a school district, it deserved its very own slide. Entitled “Essential Conditions”, ISTE has created a blueprint on developing teachers, schools, districts, and communities to have success in the digital learning age. An area particularly important to me was the “Student-Centered Learning” link which focuses on how activities can be designed to develop higher-order thinking skills. When an administrator is ready to take the next step, ISTE provides a diagnostic tool that will create a custom report that will show how aligned a school/district is with the 14 Essential Conditions.

School District of Philadelphia (SDP) EdTech site The School District of Philadelphia offers teachers online resources and standards aligned curriculum support that is aligned to the Computer Science Teacher’s Association (CSTA), ISTE, and Common Core standards. They also include quick links on their EdTech homepage that provide access to additional instructional resources, Google Apps For Education link, Blended Learning resources, and even a technology price list.

SDP site alignment to ISTE Standards My focus in this comparison is on how well the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) has attempted to align their educational technology curriculum to the 2016 ISTE standards for students. A curriculum view at-a-glance lists 5 areas students develop in the area of technology, digital citizenship and research. While some areas like “Internet Safety & Digital Citizenship” are aligned with the ISTE, it is not explicit enough for me to see how “Computing Practice” provides meaningful learning experiences.

SDP site alignment to ISTE Standards Although one could argue that Computing Practice would align With standards under the Creative Communicator, I think providing The full 7 standards ISTE outlines in the SDPs curriculum would Offer a more meaningful and robust experience for our students When it comes to using and adapting technology in their learning and to express their understanding. Albeit imperfect, the SDP has provided a foundation as to where to focus instruction for teachers whom may be incorporating technology for the first time in their instruction or teaching a group of students with little to no experience using technology as a medium other than socializing or playing games.

summary The ISTE has gone through great length to establish a system of checks and balances, guidelines, assessment tools, and professional development and teaching resources that can guide any school district to a successful educational technology program. It is awe inspiring how multifaceted the resources they provide just in the are of consulting for school districts and administrators. With partnerships with companies like Verizon that offer free courses to establish a Bring Your Own device (BYOD) program to those with the education technology based journals, subscribing to ISTE.org is well worth the investment not just for Assistive Technology and Education Technology personell, but for all teachers looking to get a head start on mastering the available apps, resources, devices, sites, webinars, lessons and more in the ever-changing field that is technology.